Suspects wanted in mistaken identity shooting

May 26, 2010 12:00:00 AM PDT

By Subha Ravindhran

COMMERCE, Calif. --

L.A. County deputies released surveillance footage to help track down the gunman who murdered a woman in a South L.A. shopping center parking lot.Linda Newsom was simply working on her car in a parking lot on the corner of Florence and Compton avenues last week when she was gunned down.

Surveillance footage shows the suspect's car entering into the strip mall around 8:20 p.m. May 19. The driver stops in the middle of the parking lot and a passenger gets out. The suspect walks out of frame and shoots Newsom once in the head from just a few feet away.

The 58-year-old had her car's hood open and was bent over. Authorities say she did not even see it coming.

"The victim was working on the engine compartment of her car. The suspect exited his car, walked up to her without saying anything and shot her in the head, turned around and walked away to his car," described L.A. County Sheriff's Department Lt. Ron Duval.

Homicide detectives believe the murder is a case of mistaken identity. The suspects may have thought Newsom was a man. Witnesses even heard the gunman say, "I got him" after the shooting.

"I think it was just a random gang shooting where they thought that our victim, even though she was a female, a 58-year-old female at that, I think they just mistook her for a male and shot her," said Duval.

A man who did not want to be identified was working inside the Autozone nearby. It's a business that authorities say Newsom visited often.

"It was pretty scary seeing a body on the floor. It's the first time I have ever seen something like that out here," he said.

Authorities are now hoping the public will help them find the suspect's car. The vehicle is described as a 1990s four-door sedan, possibly an Acura.

If you see the vehicle or if you know anything regarding the case, you can contact the sheriff's homicide bureau in Commerce at (323) 890-5500.